Baode Fm

The type section is located at the Jijia Gully (E111°10′, N39°01′), Yaozhuang town, Baode County, Shanxi Province (BGMRS(Shanxi)P, 1997). Deng et al. (2004) assigned a reference section (E111°09′, N39°00′) located at the south branch of the Jijia Gully, south of Jijiagou village. Its name is origin from the “Baode Stage” proposed by Pei et al. (1963), which was used to instead of the “Baode Hipparion red clay” in Baode Basin (Zdansky, 1923). Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources of Shanxi Province (BGMRS(Shanxi)P) (1989) formally published the Baode Fm.

Synonyms: According to Gao et al. (2014a), the abandoned Xueguan Fm, Nantan Fm, and Xiatuhe Fm are all synonyms of the Baode Fm.

It is divided into three parts: Lower part is formed by gravels. Middle part consists of brownish-yellow and light brownish-red clays (containing laminated calcareous nodules interbedded with greyish-green clays), greyish-white and brownish-yellow marlstones and limestones with small amount lenses of siltstones, sandstones, and coarse sandstones. Upper part is characterized by brownish-red clays interbedded with brownish-yellow layers rich in calcareous nodules. It contains abundant fossil mammals, fishes, ostracods, mollusks, and sporopollens. Its thickness is in range of 20~400 m.

Mammals: Castor zdanskyi, Simocyon aff. S. primigenius, Indactos lagrelii, I. sinensis, Sinictis dolichognathus, Mustela palaeosinensis, Proputorius minimus, Plesiogulo brachygnathus, Lutra aonychoides, Parataxidea sinensis, P. crassa, Melodon majori, ? M. incertum, Promephitis cf. P. maeotica, Eomellivora wimani, Ictitherium sinensis, I. gaudryi, Thalassictis wongii, Hyaenictitherium hyaenoides, Adcrocuta variabilis, ? Lycyaena dubia, Machairodus palanderi, M. tingii, Metailurus major, M. minor, Tetralophodon exoletus, Dicerorhinus ringstromi, Chilotherium habereri, C. anderssoni, Acerorhinus palaeosinensis, Sinotherium lagrelii, Hipparion hippidiodus, H. dermatorhinum, H. fossatum, H. plocodus, H. forstenae, Chleuastochoerus stehlini, Microstonyx major, Propotamochoerus hyotherioides, Cervocerus novorossiae, Procapreolus latifrons, Palaeotragus microdon, P. cf. P. coelophryx, Samotherium sp., Honanotherium schlosseri, Urmiatherium intermedium, Plesiaddax depereti, Tragocerus spectabilis, Gazella paodehensis, G. dorcadoides, G. altidens, ? Tragoreas lagrelii, ? T. anderssoni, ? T. palaeosinensis, Sinotragus wimani, Paraprotoryx minor, Palaeoryx sinensis. Ostracods: Ilyocypris, Cyclocypris, Cypris, Cyprinotus, Candoniella, Candona. Plants: Ulmus, Betula, Quercus, Carpinus, Corylus, Liquidambar, Picea, Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia, Compositae (Deng et al., 2004).

It is interpreted as a river-lake environment.